A phone call Away
by SaphireHeartbreak
Summary: Fullmetal's been missing for a week, making the colonel worry like hell. What happened to the blonde? How much trouble has the pipsqueak gotten himself into? and will Roy be able to help him? Parental roy/ed
1. A Phone Call Away

Disclaimer: I do not own the fullmetal alchemist.

That about sums it up... don't ya think? XD

That's the only disclaimer that there will be for this story yadda yadda.. etc.

ON WITH THE STORY! :D

...

"Colonel, sir. If I may be so bold as to say that you're going to wear a whole in the floor if you don't sit your ass down!" Lieutenant Hawkeye said with a stern tone. Of course, the flame alchemist had been in his own little world, paying little attention to his real surroundings.

Havoc and Breda along with the other just sat there watching, waiting for the flame to come out of his sort of trance like state. ALl wondering what to do as they sat on mismatched furnature parading around the office, all in hopes of getting back a little blonde boy and his brother.

Roy Mustang came back to reality from this small outburst, and subconsciously came to the conclusion that maybe sitting down was a good idea. He leaned back in his comfy leather chair and laid his head against his desk full of paperwork that hadn't been touched in days. If he wasn't pacing the floors wildly, then he was sitting at his desk moping. Neither one of these being a positive outcome for the flame, seeing as though he had a LOT of paper work that needed to be done in a short period of time.

"Really sir, you should get started on the paperwork.. you do realize that it won't do itself... correct?" Hawkeye said with a shadow of humor, trying to ease some of the tension in the room, but failing none the less.

"Riza.." Mustang said in his most exasperated tone of voice possible. "I'll get on it. Later." He said quite impatiently, looking directly into her eyes. "At the moment there are other matters that need to be attended to." He hated saying something to her like that in front of their coworkers but... something had to be said. He was jsut in too bad of a mood to be told what to do, and too worried to even think coherent thoughts.

She took in what he had said and decided that it was a lost battle. She took inventory of how the colonel looked. Bags under his seemingly dull eyes from two days of not sleeping and most likely not eating, his uniform sagging, his complexion quite pale from worry. It was almost as if you could picture the golden haired boy in Mustang's eyes, as if somehow that longing in his eyes would grab hold of the boy and bring him back.

"Sir.. He's been gone for a week. Sure, he was supposed to be back by now... but today is only Friday.. I'm sure that we will be in touch with him soon, and besides if we don't get in touch with him by tomorrow then were sending a search force out after him." The lieutenant looked around at everyone and looked as though she was thinking hard about something.. "I request permission to give you advice, sir"

The colonel looked to her as his dark eyes shaded a color. "Permission granted", he said with a sigh.

"Mustang, he's a strong boy. He'll be all right, but you need to get some slee-"

As if on cue the phone rang, cutting into the Lieutenant's 'advice', Mustang not pausing for a second before answering the phone on the first ring"

Every eye in the room was on him.

"Colonel Roy Mustang-" was all that he managed to say before he heard a voice on the other line.

"Mustang!" sounded from the other end of the line, in a sort of hurried, whining voice. Mustang would've recognized it anywhere.

"Fullmetal! W-what! Where are you!" He said as he motioned for everyone in the fucking room to go trace the call, with passion in his eyes saying 'if you don't you're all dead men' As they all scurried out the door and into another room where they could still see the colonel through a window.

"Listen.. colonel.. I don't know how long I can make this phone call... but there are some important things that I need to tell you" Again, in a rushed manor.

"Fullmetal! I demand to know where you are right this instant! What's going on! You were supposed to be back here two days ago!"

"Colonel.." There was a long pause on both lines, as Roy knew exactly what that word meant. Knowing quite well that that meant 'shut the hell up, I need you to listen right now'

"Colonel.. Alphonse and I. We won't be back for a while.. I need you to listen to me. It's dangerous to even be talking to you right at this moment... but I need to right now. Al and I.. well.. we've gotten ourselves into some dangerous shit.. and well I've got to hurry this along.. the only reason i'm calling is because at the moment Al is at the hotel which isn't safe for either of us to be away from each other for too long" Panicked and rushed he murmured that all out onto the line, and the colonel replied not missing a beat.

"Fullmetal.. Edward what have you gotten yourselves into! What's going on! Where are you!" He said in the most frustrated sounding voice possible.

"Mustang I need you to listen to me.. This is very important.. I can't tell you everything that's going on. You're going to have to trust me.. I can't put you in that kind of danger.. "

"Edward! This is a direct order from your superior! Tell me what the fuck is going on. NOW."

"I.. I can't." Ed shook his head from the tiny phone booth that he was sitting in, trying to keep hidden from the humunculus that were sure to be around somewhere.

"Please.. understand.. M-Must..Roy.. Please understand Roy... Right now.. I need you.." The blonde haired boy said with tears forming in his eyes.

At this point all of the coworkers were now listening in on the call being held between the young blonde and the older raven-haired man.

"Edward... Dammit..." Sigh. "What are you calling for.. what do you need.. whatever it is.. you've got it." The older man said running a hand through his hair.

"Mustang.. I need your word.. I need your word that you'll take care of Alphonse if something happens to me. Don't let anything happen to him. You got that?"

As the Raven haired man tried to retort with something along the lines of don't let me hear you say that, he was beaten to the punch by the click of another phone and a voice shattering through, "Come on Boss! Don't let us hear you say that nonsense! you're coming back to us in one piece!" In the background there were plenty of other people agreeing with the young smoking man.

The colonel replied with a stern look through his office window saying 'you guys better get the hell off that phone before I burn you all to pieces', as there was a short click on the line again.

Roy heard a faint sob on the other end of the line almost sure that it was coming from the beautiful blonde boy. "Ed.. I can't do that.. you've got to come back. You don't have a choice.. I'm not giving you a choice. You better get your ass back here alive.. thats a direct order!"

At this the young boy's sobs got louder. "Mustang.. before.. I need to go.. which was like ten minutes ago. I need you to know this.."

"What?! Fullmetal? What do you need me to know? What is it?" The colonel said as he felt his heart racing through his chest. 'Was.. What is he going to say. Is.. this..' he thought to himself.

"I need you to know.. that.." -crack- "Oh god! Envy! DAMMIT! Get the fuck away from me!"

"You know.. thats a funny thing to say pipsqueak.. especially when we've already gotten your little brother. It looks like you'd be the one chasing us."

As the phone fell to the floor of the floor of the now broken in two phone booth, you could hear a certain raven haired man shouting "Edward" over and over again. Only to hear the sounds of a short blonde boy yell something along the lines of a screechy "I'll call you back soon, Don't worry!" and then a sudden click.

"So.. this has to do with the humoculi.. " Roy thought to himself, "at least.. thats something to go by." This time allowed with complete worry taking over his voice for the fate of his youngest subordinate. "Come on Ed.. you can do it." As everyone looked at each other, shocked at what had just happened.

...

Okay... so this is chapter one of course XD hahaha and I was like 'meh I feel like writing a fanfic today' I have an idea for a chapter two.. which needs to explain what Ed needed to tell Mustang.. IF he even gets through withe Envy alive. ;) OHHHHH CLIFF HANGER. We also need to know whats happened to the youngest of the elrics ;) and sigh.. hmm.. theres just many questions that need to be answered. Eventual yaoi possibly? between royxed maybe? or maybe a rape fic from Envy and then a more comfort thing from roy.. hmm.. I don't know.. maybe the colonel will find out where ed is and come to his rescue o-o meh anyway XD any ideas please feel free to send them XD 10 comments and I'll make a chapter two~


	2. What You Had to Say

Chapter 2:

Sorry it took umm.. a little bit longer than I was hoping to get Chapter 2 out.. i've come to the conclusion that I love both reading and writing fanfics.. but reading takes less work XD and with that I've also come to realize I'm an extreme lazy ass. -.- but umm.. oh yeah..

DISCLAIMER: I don't own fma.

Anyways now that I remembered that I can get back to what I was saying.. yeah well i'm like.. snowed in -.- and this seemed like a more productive thing to do with my time ^-^ but I do really love the way this story is going and I'll happily continue writing it as long as there are people who enjoy reading it ^-^ leave comments if you prefer, I'd love to have critiques. Oh, and I can't stand writing errors.. so any grammar Nazis out there... you're free to critique that... that would be a big help :D

ON WITH THE STORY!

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He laid down in his soft bed, with the dark blue comforter on top. The large comforter, adorned with the same flame transmutation circle as the one on his pearly gloves. He had just gotten home from work an hour ago and couldn't keep himself from pacing back and forth down in the large kitchen area, so he decided maybe he should go to sleep early. The raven haired man had hardly slept in.. well.. six days, anyway. Instead, he found himself thinking back to the phone call he had received six days ago.

_"Mustang.. before.. I need to go.. which was like ten minutes ago. I need you to know this.." _

_'Dammit. What was he going to tell me? Is he alright? What... what if I never find out?'_ The colonel sighed aloud, and punched the dark pillow next to him._ 'I need to do something for the kid.. but the freaking call couldn't be traced.. what else could go wrong?'_

He made a decision to get up and head back downstairs, unsure of what he was actually going to do but laying here and thinking about those things wouldn't do him much good, he thought to himself. His too-big black sweatpants hung quite low on his thin waist, revealing a pair of black boxers. His bare chest showing, and dark hair, any woman in town would've known, laying messily atop his head.

As soon as he had made his way down the hall and down the stairs, he sat down on the sofa and grabbed his pocket watch, '_7:00'. _Plopping down onto the couch and grabbing the remote off of the table, he laid on his back, simultaneously clicking the button labeled 'on' as the room filled with talking that he didn't care to focus on. _'Just something to keep the quiet away'_

_'I really.. hope he calls soon.. I don't know what I'll do if this goes on much longer. He said he'd call soon.. but it's been six days.. and they said that they had Alphonse.. which means.. well more trouble in general.. and Envy was right there in front of Ed.. Dammit.. what can I do..' _He thought as he slowly drifted off to sleep.

_Riiing! Riiing! Riing!_

_"_Hello, this is Colonel Mustang.." He said wiping the sleep out of my eyes. Also, making time to grab the small silver pocket watch laying on the table and looked at the time, _'10:00? Who would call...-'_

"M-Mustang.."

"Fullm-Ed is that you?" _'I.. I'm not dreaming.. am i?' _As he quickly woke himself up and sat upright on the couch.

"Yeah it's me, Colonel Bastard. I didn't know if you'd answer your home phone or not... but yeah.."

"Edward. Tell me what's going on" The worry of the past six days found its way into his voice, although he was hoping and praying to... whomever... that Ed couldn't hear it. The blonde seemed more concentrated on other things though.

"Well.. _sigh.. _It's a long story Roy. There's a lot to tell.. I think that we have better chances now. We'll be coming home soon, I know it."

Although, the blonde sounded rather confident, Roy could tell he was terrified. "Edward.. tell me.." He paused a moment, before adding a word he didn't even know was in his vocabulary. "...please."

"Colonel.. well.. I've gotten some more time, I guess I can give you an update. I'm located in a phone booth a few miles from my hotel. The homunculi have definitely been around. They had.. well.. they'd gotten to Al, but I got him back... and well he's now residing in a very safe location." He said with a militaristic tone to his voice, realizing that if he would've used any other voice, he probably would've broken down.

Roy had to take a few seconds to take this all in. "When will the two of you be back? Is there anything that I can do to help? Are either of you.. hurt?"

He waited a moment before adding his final question. "What was it that you needed to tell me.. last time?

Ed let out a sigh. "First of all, We don't know how many people are still.. following us, and it's incredibly dangerous for Al or I to be separated. Calling you is the only time that I've left him. We have the hotel under a fake name, but I can't give you that name since this line could possibly be.. unreliable. I'm sure that there are some homunculi that are still out there, but the only ones that were sure of is Envy at the moment"

Roy took this in, not really gaining any new information, but still continuing to look for clues in what the younger alchemist was saying.

Before Roy had a chance to ask anything Edward continued, "Second of all, Al and I... we're pretty beaten up, but we'll manage. I'm hoping that we can come back soon, heh.. It's gotten bad enough out here that I'm actually starting to miss you and your short jokes" The boy gave a forced laugh, trying to lighten up the dark conversation.

That's when Roy knew it was bad out there, Ed would've never said that otherwise. "Edward.. tell me where you are. I can come to help you.. You and your brother. I can help you, I can keep your secrets. How much longer do you think that you can last out there? You need help and I... I can help." His voice wavering on the last few words. He knew with every fiber of his being that Ed would decline but he had to throw that out there anyway.

"Thank you colonel, but I can't let you do that. I won't put you or anyone else into danger by getting involved with us. We'll take care of things" Ed said sadly, letting a tear escape at those words. He would've given anything for the colonel to be there with him, but there was no way that he was going to put Roy into that kind of danger. He wouldn't allow it.

"_Sigh, _Edward, you're as stubborn as ever. I knew that you'd say that but I'd hoped otherwise. Is there anymore you can give me on the update?" Roy said in a tone of voice that let Edward know how much worry was actually going through Roy.

"Colo-..Roy, I don't really know the amount of time that it'll take for us to get home, but my automail is pretty crummy at the moment and Al's pretty torn up too, I think we'll be fixing that soon though, if you know what I mean." Ed said as casually as possible, hoping with every part of him that Roy caught what he meant, but also not needing to come right out and say it.

Roy looked at the phone a few seconds before nodding into nothing and replying "I hope you can do that soon, pipsqueak. I'd hate to have to wait for that..." He said, hoping Ed caught his reply, "If I were you."

The red-coated alchemist realized immediately that Roy had caught on, and Ed needed to be getting back to Al.

"Well, Roy I have to be getting back, like I said.. It's not good for us to be separated at the moment.. I'll be getting back to you soon." He said

"Alright Ed," He said with a smile on his face, but he still had something to ask, "but umm.. well.. before you go I need to ask you something. What.. was it that you needed to tell me.. before you left last time?"

"Well.. I just wanted to tell you.. thank you for everything, and that well.. Al and I will never be able to repay you for what you've done.. but well.. just.. umm.. thank you.. R-roy.. I love you."

Before Mustang could utter another word the line went dead for the second time that week, leaving Roy dumbfounded and staring at his phone.


	3. What Happened the Next Day

I know this story took a lot longer to upload than it really should have, but honestly I got caught up in a really amazing fanfic myself. It was mesmerizing and I was too set on their plot to even think about writing my own stories. So to those fans who have been asking me to get back to my writing, I can honestly say that I am sorry for my inconvenience. Although, before I forget I should probably go ahead and add...

Disclaimer: Again, I haven't bought fullmetal alchemist since the last chapter -.-

Anyway.. back to what I was saying, yeah I'll try to upload the new chapters about once a week. I'm hoping to make this story one of my longer stories and I've already come up with the plot behind it I think.. but I'm going to be very... open to suggestions. I haven't really written anything in stone yet, so again open to suggestions and all that mumbo jumbo. I'd love some feedback from anyone who's willing to give it, positive or negative thats up to you. I know my writing style needs a lot of work and I'd love to get some input from you.

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Roy strode into work that morning, with one thing on his mind. He walked down the hall of Central with pale skin and purple lines around his eyes, showing the restlessness of the previous night. After the phone call from Ed, how was he supposed to sleep? There was only one thing that he needed to do and it was get to Risembool. His thoughts flickered back to the phone conversation from the night before.

'_My automail is pretty crummy at the moment...Al and I are going to have to get that fixed soon'. _

Roy knew that could only mean one thing. That Ed was headed toward Risembol and he was trying to leave Roy a message, that only he could catch onto in case the line was tapped. Whatever position that Ed had gotten himself into, he claimed that he wouldn't let anyone else get hurt for it, but he realized that with the message came the realization that Ed needed Roy's help. He remembered Ed's words about not letting anyone get hurt, which was true. Roy knew that if anything happened Ed would make sure that there was no way that he could get in trouble. He knew that Ed wouldn't allow anything of the sort to happen. He knew of Ed's conscience, and knew that he wouldn't be able to live with himself if anyone got hurt for his mess. He also realized, that if anyone was tapping the line, they would believe that Ed wouldn't allow him to come out. Ed had planned well about what he was saying, and was basing it all off hope that Roy would be able to decode what he was saying and find the real meaning in his words.

That was frightening and appealing at the same time. The thought that Ed needed his help and was going to let him in was one thing. Then there was the thought that if they actually needed Roy's assistance... _'How much trouble are they in?' , he thought to himself. _

Then another spark lit up inside his head, _'Al and I will never be able to repay you for what you've done.. but well.. just.. umm.. thank you.. R-roy.. I love you."_

He tried not to linger on the last words of the phone call. '_I love you_'. They sounded so.. right in his ears. It dazed and confused the poor general, usually being the most favorable bachelor in Central. Did that title really stretch as far as to the blonde subordinate? He couldn't help but wonder in what way did the small blonde mean it? His mind automatically assumed it was in a fatherly figure, causing his figure to slump a little at the defeat, but his eyes shone fire at the thought of anything more than just the Colonel/subordinate relationship that they had going. Whatever relationship they had blossoming between them, it was one of trust. Ed trusted him, and that was what was important. He wanted to help Fullmetal in anyway that he could, and wanted to be there for him. He just... wasn't entirely used to Ed asking for help, making him somewhat nervous.

There were only a few problems with Roy's theories about Ed's message, such as when were Ed and Al going to be able to get to Risembol? How long would it take? He knew that there was no way that Hawkeye was going to allow him to stay in Risembol for an unlimited period of time. She'd kill him if he didn't get all of his paperwork done, but he had to find some way to catch up to the two boys.

The real question was... was he even sure that Ed would make it all the way to Risembol? He hated to think it, almost becoming nauseous at the thought of something bad happening to him, but he couldn't help the deafening whisper from flittering through his head like a caged bird. He needed to look at every possible situation, but it was just so seemingly impossible with Ed in danger.

'_I wonder what condition they are really in', _he thought quietly. He remembered how the phone conversation ended with Envy showing up, and remembered the heartbreak that went along with it. The worry that flooded his veins, a worry that he'd never felt before.

He continued his long stride as he managed to float to his office, unaware of his surroundings. He heard the soft murmur of people in the background, but the muse in his head was the only real sound alienating everything else in his path.

The brief thought to call the Rockbell girl pierced his brain for a short second before shaking his head in defeat. Even if he wanted to, there was no way that Ed and Al could stay there long enough for Roy to take a train there. They wouldn't have the sweet bliss of time, only the alarming rates of their hearts as trouble crowded in on them. He also realized that if he did call the Rockbell girl then Ed would kill him for making her worry.

He walked through the heavy white door of his office, only to find Hawkeye standing inside. '_Waiting for me' _he thought bitterly. His mind was too full to deal with whatever antics were passing along throughout the military, and he wanted to do anything but deal with it. _'Maybe she would be more lenient with me if I actually started working occasionally...', _he thought to himself, even though he knew he'd never actually take himself up on that.

"Sir", Hawkeye's voice broke into his thoughts, making him push all of his worries back down into his throat and locking them in the very core of his stomach. It was a hard thing for him to do and would've almost bene impossible if he'd have been fifteen years younger, but over time he'd learned to control his emotions.

"Hawkeye..", he said taking his sweet time in trying to find the right wording. The one thing that he could say to let him do as he pleased. "Please gather me a train ticket to Risembol." He said warily, lowering his voice before continuing, "It is a very big emergency. I believe that the Elric brothers should be arriving there soon, and they could possibly be in a great deal of trouble. Edward had left left a hint for me on a phone call, implying that he needs my help"

In reality Mustang knew that there was no way that Hawkeye could decline him that. She cared for the Elric's a great deal, and knew that if Ed was going to ask for help then things had to be pretty bad. Although, he knew what she was going to say, he still managed to find the weariness in her eyes a little frightening. So he quickly came to a conclusion and added, "I'll take all of my paperwork with me, and have it sent back as soon as possible." He looked at the stack of paper on his desk.

She looked at him again and Roy did a double take at the emotion in her eyes. '_What is that... almost.. bemused?_' and then he knew what was coming. There was no way that Hawkeye would let him journey alone, and she walked towards the door stating that she'd make sure to get all four train tickets.

"What..? Four...?" he asked aloud, watching Hawkeye's smile widen and her eyes brighten as she said "of course. You, Hughes, Havoc, and myself. We'll leave tonight."

He was about to protest, but recognized the signs of a helpless cause. There was no changing Hawkeye's mind. The raven haired man sat back in his chair, before realizing the initial shake that floated through him like electricity. He was worried, and nervous, more so than anything, needing to make sure that the Elric's were alright.

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This chapter should have probably been uploaded a lot sooner. I am pretty excited for the next chapter, considering half of it is already written, and well.. I think it's a lot more... interesting than this chapter. This was mostly just a filler Chapter, nothing of any real necessity. I kind of got bored in history class and started typing this... so yeah. I'll have the next chapter uploaded soon, and I really hope that you guys like what's to come. Please comment, I'd love any remarks on anything, especially about the characters, whether they're too OOC or whatever, if I missed something that anyone would like to be explained, etc etc. We could be here all day fixing my flaws XD but yeah anything that needs to be fixed or ideas or whatever please comment! :D


	4. What's the Plan?

Well for one, I simply am taking my time writing this, which is terrible of me.I can't seem to get out of my writers block -.- but I'm trucking through it anyway. This is really my hard chapter to write because I don't really want to just let everything out in one chapter but I also don't want to wait like a billion chapters to get on with the fucking story.

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Anyway, I'd love to get some feedback on the story if there is anyone out there interested in commenting on it or if there is any criticism out there for this story It would be greatly appreciated! I love the feedback! :D

By around four in the afternoon they were all packed, briefed on the situation and ready to head out to Risembol. All of the tickets had been purchased on account of Riza, and they were rushing getting to the station. The storm clouds above throwing rain down, forcing everyone to rush underneath the sheltered waiting station.

Roy and Riza scrambled through the station about five minutes before Hughes and Havoc managed to join them. Running haphazardly throughout the place trying to take shelter, and finding a place where they could also safely communicate.

When they came to a stop, Roy stood against a sturdy white post connecting to the roof. His eyes tired and whole body slumped. His large black trench coat covering up the uniform, making him look as though he's just a regular civilian. Well, maybe a high class civilian. Of course, he was still wearing the uniform in any case of having to pull rank while he was out. He looked exhausted, but he was still on high alert as always. He knew that Ed was in deep shit, he wasn't a fool to think less of that, and if someone had come into knowledge that they were going to Risembol; well, let's just say that they couldn't afford to let their guards down.

Riza stood next to him, wearing what anyone who knew her would call a 'Riza Outfit'. In other words, something comfortably stylish, yet well designed for anything that could come her way. It obviously was not made for stylish tastes, but on her it might as well have been. Her hair was pulled into a tight bun upon her head and she looked on high alert. Her brown eyes scanning the crowd of people surrounding them for anything that could be considered even a slight threat.

She saw Hughes straggling not far away in his dark blue dress up shirt and long khakis. He was smiling down at his wallet, obviously looking at a picture of his beloved Elysia. From any other perspective it would look like he wasn't paying any attention to his surroundings, but Riza knew better. She knew that he was taking in his surroundings very precisely.

With Riza's amazing eyesight, she seemed to spot Havoc long before he came into view. He seemed to be wearing dark brown khakis and a faded blue t-shirt. His blonde hair, looking darker than usual without the sunlight shining through it. His expression was looking somewhat carefree, but that might've been because of the object maintaining a reserved spot in his hand. She looked over to his and recognized the object as none other than a cigarette. He cradled it near his mouth as he walked towards them, looking as if every moment without it was a nuisance. '_His trademark', _Hawkeye thought grudgingly. He held his cigarettes almost as closely as Hughes carried his pictures.

As they all congregated around the spot that they were to await their coming train, Roy looked to his watch. '_Damn it, 5 more minutes until our train pulls up. I... be okay Ed. Please..' _

Hawkeye looked into his eyes with a stern look, knowing exactly what he was thinking. Hawkeye noticed all, from the way his body was slumped against the wall to the way that his eyes were roaming the premises. She knew how worried he was, and felt a pang in her heart at the thought of the short golden alchemist being in pain. Honestly, now that she thought about it, it may have not been the best decision for all four of them to come, but whatever was going on with the Elric boys... Well, she knew she would need backup. She knew as well as anyone that no matter what the situation was the boys would never call for help. They were just too independent and caring. They wouldn't dare bring another person into harms way knowingly. She wanted the boys to be alright, almost as much as the raven-haired colonel himself.

Havoc was the first to start asking the questions, as always. His cigarette lightening his mood as he spoke, "So... what's the plan?"

Hawkeye managed to look over at Roy and shrugged, "We don't have one."

On that note Havoc and Hughes' mouthes dropped. "What.. What do you mean..? No.. No plan?"

Hawkeye shot a dangerous look, "Thats what I said isn't it." Her face softened a little after seeing the two mens expressions, and she lowered her voice "We're going to find Edward and Alphonse. That's all that we know."

The two men, still slightly gawking, accepted the knowledge they'd been given. They both knew that it wasn't that much to go on, but they would do whatever they could for the two young men who had come to be quite important to all of them. As the train pulled up, they cast a sidelong glance at Roy and noticed how much worse he looked after every passing moment.

His eyes looked too downcast to be their superior. His dark eyes usually full of commitment, now looking grieved over the two young boys.

Havoc looked over at hughes with a smirk, "Looks like the kid means more to the Colonel, than he let on."

Hughes only smiled.


	5. Off to Risembol

Chapter 5:

Sorry that the last chapter was so short, I honestly didn't know what to do with it D: I figured if i added onto it that chapter would've been extremely long and would've taken forever to finish... so yeah this is.. one of my favorite chapters! it was so much fun to write! Especially since it's SPRING BREAK! -loves being 15- This chapter is kind of Short too.. but I'm getting on with the story I promise, this should be my last short chapter, and I should be updating a lot more this week, because as I mentioned before XD SPRING BREAK.

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As Hughes and Havoc finally climbed onto the train, Mustang and Riza were already headed to their compartments to start on unpacking. They each had gotten their own apartment, as Riza figured their was no other way to do it by the book. Roy was a colonel and it would've made since for him to have his own room. Meanwhile, it would've looked bad for Riza to have been sharing a room with any of the men, as it would've led to a great deal of suspicions.

Mustang being the sly gentleman that he is, helped Riza to her room and then proceeded to his own room, only muttering an "I'll meet up with you later" as he walked away from Hawkeye. His boots sliding across the carpet at a leisurely haste, as he walked the little ways to his room alone, only caring to find a number that would lead him into solitude. He just wanted to be alone for a little while, he figured maybe he'd be able to catch a little sleep; As he questioned himself, "What else is there to do on a train?"

Mustang found his room three doors down from Riza's room; not even bothering to wonder why she didn't get their rooms all beside each other, it really just didn't matter. Roy ran the card that he'd gotten from Riza through the room key slot on the door handle and opened his door.

He walked in and sat his bags down in front of the dresser. Roy started to unpack his bags, taking out a shirt and a pair of sweatpants to change into later that afternoon. Before he could unzip the rest of his bag he decided that it wasn't important. It was like paperwork: just a pain. He sat down on the floor in front of the twin bed where he would be spending his next three nights and let his mind wander to his smallest subordinate.

He leaned his head back against the bed and stared up at the ceiling. "God.. what are we going to do? We don't.. even have a plan.." As his thoughts started to pick up pace and worry him even more, he heard a knock on the door. He figured it was just a train attendant asking if their was anything that he needed. He looked over at the door and mumbled to himself, "Maybe if I ignore them, they'll go away." As soon as the thought erupted from him, a voice started to sound from the other side, "Hey, Roy! Come on! Open up! I have some adorable pictures-"

Mustang just rolled his eyes and walked the short distance until he reached the door. He laid his hand across the handle, and slowly opened the metal door, wondering the whole time if he was going to regret it in a matter of minutes. As the metal was pulled back, his family-crazed friend appeared and was quickly invited inside. There wasn't much space in the small compartment but they managed to make it work somehow. Roy sat down in his previous spot in front of his bed while Hughes invited himself to a more comfy spot laying down on the bed.

The silence lasted what felt like years as Hughes watched Roy's expressions. He saw how hard this was on his friend. He knew that the blonde, hot-headed teen meant a great deal to Mustang. He had watched over the small boy from the first time that they had met; always trying to keep Edward from harm, even though the blonde had always claimed that he didn't need anyone to watch over him. Mustang thought differently, not saying that Roy thought that the boy wasn't to be trusted. He just thought that the military wasn't a safe place for grown men, let along young boys. Mustang had always wanted to help to the young man, but never really had the chance because every time there was a possibility for him to console the teen, it was taken away by the teen's constant argumentative behavior. He wasn't able to help him simply because the teen didn't know how to be helped. "Maybe this is Roy's chance to help Ed.." Hughes thought to himself.

He couldn't stand the silence anymore and gave his best effort at trying to console his friend, "You know.. he will be okay." Mustang gave a side-long glance at his friend and then looked back at the floor.

"I know.. he always is.. but.. what if he's not..? He's never asked for help before.. from anyone.. let along me. He can't stand me.. hah.. I thought that he was alright too.. I mean he always is.. but.. I..", Mustang's face became more downcast at the thought, as he looked over at Hughes.

Maes looked back at him, and thought about it for a second.

"Roy.. stop you're rambling.. you know he doesn't really hate you. He just sees things differently than you do. He still is just a kid after all, but most people don't seem to understand that. Of course, I doubt that he wants people to see that. The one thing he doesn't want to be seen as is weak... especially by you."

"I know he's a kid Maes. It's just.. sometimes I wish he'd act like one. He should ask for help when he needs it. He should know that I'm here to help him.. and I'm sure he doesn't care what I think."

Hughes rolled his eyes, and thought back to the phone call in the office, where Mustang was the first one Ed called for help.

"I see what you mean.. but, Roy.. think about it. When has he ever had anyone to call on before? When his dad ran off? or when his mother died? or when him and Alphonse tried to bring her back and he almost lost his only brother? He tries to do things on his own because that's how its always been for him. I'm sure he doesn't try to be evasive, and besides we all heard what he said when he called the office.. you can tell just by that.. that he really does care."

Mustang thought about that for a second and his mind fluttered back to the phone call that was made to his house the other night. "_I.. I love you" _

"I suppose.. you're right.. but.. he needs to know that I'm here for him now.. he doesn't have to do things alone."

Hughes got up from the spot that he was laying in and headed back towards the door. "Then maybe you should tell him that."

Mustang thought it over for a second as Hughes headed towards the door.

"Oh, by the way, Riza said she expects us all in the dining cart at 6 sharp."

Mustang looked up at that, and rolled his eyes. "Oh, silly me, and I thought I was the Colonel here."

Hughes just laughed as he shut the door.


	6. Dinner (The Dining Cart) & The Arrival

Chapter 6: Dinner

I'm really not sure where to go with this chapter, because I'm getting ahead of myself with the plot. I'm really looking forward to the next few chapters because I'm actually getting more to the plot of the story. I hope you guys still like this fanfic and I'd love to have comments about what you think.

Hughes and Mustang were the first two to arrive at the dining cart. Basically, they knew best not to be goofing off when Riza ordered them to do something. They'd both faced the end of her barrel at more than one occasion and neither was certain that she wouldn't pull the trigger. Maybe.. she wouldn't pull it at them, but they both had a feeling there would be some serious repercussions. This encouraged them to show up twenty minutes early to eat for dinner.

Havoc showed up a slight bit later, also having memorized the design on the end of Riza's gun. He was a good ten minutes early, and very proud of this fact. He would've been there sooner, if he hadn't been trying to find his perfect outfit. 'This is a new train.. going to a new area, it wouldn't hurt to try and look nice.. and If I happen to pick up a nice girl, well then so be it.' Havoc thought to himself as he walked over to where Roy and Hughes were seated.

They sat at the table for a few minutes greeting one another to dinner, and the conversation really didn't go much further than that. Mustang was far from being in a chatty mood, as his thought kept flipping back and forth between the Elrics, and the conversation that he should've been holding. Maes was kind enough to let his friend wander off. He knew that the boys would be alright, so he didn't see anything wrong with a little worrying. He knew that once they got to Risembol everything would start to get better with Roy. Then, Havoc seemed to be off in another world as he was making googly eyes at a cute waitress. He knew that Ed and Al would be alright, and he was worried, but he had faith in his friend.

At the exact time that they were supposed to meet, the door opened to the dining cart and in came a very relaxed looking Riza Hawkeye. She moseyed in with her short khaki shorts rolled up at the very bottom and a white button up shirt that fit very well against her slim figure. She found the area where her friends were "congregating" for lack of a better word. Riza took a seat next to Mustang, who was sitting across the table from Hughes. Meanwhile, Hughes was pretending to lbe very enthralled by his menu, that had been laid on the table when they had arrived.

Hawkeye cleared her throat after sha had gotten settled and looked around at the three men, internally rolling her eyes. She a lovesick puppy, a depressed boss, not to mention Hughes. She knew that this mission was going to be a lot for all of them, as it hit way too close to home. They all wanted Ed to be alright, and they all knew that out of anyone, he would be the one to not give up; but the least Riza could do was get a decent team together. "Havoc, please stop drooling over that waitress", Riza stated as she picked up her menu. Before Havoc had a chance to protest, Riza piped up again, "and.. Roy. Please do me the favor of coming back to earth for dinner." Riza felt bad for Roy, but she knew that someone had to take charge or else this could turn out to be a disaster. "We will be in Risembol shortly, and when we get there Edward will need all of us, so I would recommend getting your heads together. I know that we all are worried about Ed's well-being", she hesitated questioning herself as whether or not to continue. "Myself, included... but we need to be prepared for whatever is about to happen."

After Riza's short speech about the behavior's of the three men, and her short mentioning of a plan after they'd gotten to Risembol, the members of their team all ate in fairly pleasurable silence. It wasn't stiff, and wasn't uncomfortable but they were all in a different mind-set and they were all in other places. Mustang's mind was in Risembol. Hughes with his two favorite girls. Havoc in the waitress' pants, and Riza was wondering what the hell she was going to do about the lack of concentration. She knew they'd come together when they got to their destination, so she decided not to push this issue anymore.

They eventually all departed and made their way back to their rooms for what was to be a very well deserved night for some people. Mustang was utterly exhausted by this point in time, and so was the rest of the team. Mustang went back to his dorm and laid his clothes beside the door, then changed into his sweatpants; meanwhile, refusing to wear a shirt to sleep in. He laid his head down on his pillow, and fell into a very deep sleep. That night he dreamed of a short blonde boy, all of the worry that he'd worked up finding its way into his dreams.

After he woke the next morning, the days seemed to drag until they made it to Risembol. The short time period of being on the train had felt like it had taken years. Mustang was ready to get off the damned train and finally see the blonde boy that he'd been looking forward to seeing. He needed to be there, to help Ed out. This was his chance, finally getting to be there for Ed in his time of need. He wanted to run there, but it seemed as though the train would get him there faster, whether it felt like it or not.

After, what felt like the longest train ride of Roy's life. They eventually pulled up to the Risembol Train Station. Roy tried his best to remain calm and collected, and did a fairly decent job on the outside. On the inside, it seemed as though Roy was about to blow a gasket. He wanted to get to the small automail shop that he knew as Ed and Al's home (since they'd burnt theirs down so many years ago.) He wanted to see Ed and Al, he wanted to make sure that the boy's he'd practically raised were really safe. He wanted his damn subordinates to hurry the fuck up.

Roy's calm complexion was beginning to fade as they finally got out of the train station. He wanted to get to the shop soon, but there was still quite a walk to go, and Roy wasn't really looking forward to this. He knew that he'd have to hurry to get to the automail shop before dark, as it was already six o'clock in the afternoon.

Riza and Hughes had easily noticed the hurry that Roy seemed to be in, although, it took longer for havoc to figure this out, as his thoughts were more relaxed by the cancer stick currently in between his pointer and middle finger.

They all tried their best to keep up with Roy as they made their way to the Rockbell shop, where Roy had first met Ed and Al. They walked since there really wasn't any other way, and the whole way there Mustang's mind was running a marathon. "What am I supposed to do? What if he's hurt? Come on Roy! Pick up our feet! Go faster! It's Ed! You need to get there!", he thought as he hastened his pace.

The sun was beginning to set as Roy finally came into sight of the Rockbell house, with the rest of his team a good twenty paces behind him. It wasn't really that they didn't care, it was more that they had a long trek and it was very exhausting.

As Roy approached the house that he had been previously accustomed to, he saw a golden strand of hair, that he'd recognize anywhere, and his heart began to pound with adrenaline. "Oh My God."


	7. Fullm-Edward!

Fullm-Edward! - Thank you guys for being so patient with this story! I've also been informed that I had uploaded the same chapter twice, and I'm very sorry that I had hit the wrong button. I am fixing that now :D anyway, I hope that you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. ^-^ I think it's a little different than my usual writing style though.. which bothers me.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist.

Anyway, I was also very cautious of this story, so if you'd like to leave comments, that would be greatly appreciated! ^-^

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The sun was beginning to set as Roy finally came into sight of the Rockbell house, with the rest of his team a good twenty paces behind him. It wasn't really that they didn't care, it was more that they had a long trek and it was very exhausting.

As Roy approached the house that he had been inside of previously, he saw a young boy with a golden strand of hair, that he'd recognize anywhere, and his heart began to pound with adrenaline. "Oh My God."

The blonde stroke of hair was just the inspiration that Mustang needed to get up the large slope. He began to walk faster, until he realized that he was sprinting.

Naturally, he made it up the hill long before the rest of his crew, but when he got there, he realized that this wasn't Edward. The boy in front of him had the same long blonde hair and was around the same age as major elric. Though, there were slight differences, this boy was slightly taller than major Elric, and also his face was thinner than Ed's.

Before Mustang could say anything, he was tackled to the ground by the kid. "Mustang! It's me!"

The colonel looked at the boy quizzicaly, "me? What?" he asked trying to get to his feet and wipe his uniform off.

The boy had moved slowly to grab hold of the older colonel, and gave him a large hug. "Mustang! I'm Alphonse! I'm so glad you're here! Brother will be too! Oh.. Brother.. he... you should see him.." Alphonse droned off sadly.

Mustang thought about it for a second, and by this time the rest of his crew had started to gather around. Seeing the colonel tackled to the ground, was definitely a reason for them to hurry over to him.

"You.. You're Alphonse..", Mustang asked slowly. "You do resemble Ed.. but.. that would mean.. the philosopher's stone..?" Mustang said choking over his own tongue. "And.. where's Ed..?"

The rest of the crew remained quiet, all except for havoc. "So you've got your body back. Congrats al!" He said pulling the cigarette out of his mouth.

Alphonse looked at the team with big brown eyes, "Thanks.. heh.. I think.. you guys should go see brother.. especially you Mustang."

Roy looked down at the kid and ruffled his hair, still in shock from the random outburst from the younger Elric. "Where is Ed..?"

Alphonse looked up at Roy, "He's inside."

Mustang went ahead into the house, ordering the rest of his crew to stay with Al in case he needed them. He couldn't have been very stable, which made him wonder why the boy was even outside, especially by himself. But he assumed that Ed wasn't too far off watching and he probably did need to walk around to become accustomed to his new legs.

* * *

He went up to the door of the Rockbell house, and knocked twice. He waited a few minutes and finally let himself inside.

As soon as he walked in the door, he saw Ed laying on the couch in only his boxers.

Mustang stopped in his tracks. There was blood all over Ed. His hair was matted. His automail arm had been taken off due to injuries. His automail leg was still attached but didn't look like it should've been. He was bruised, and scarred. He looked as though he had a black eye and his lip was bleeding.

Mustang walked over to the boy and pushed his hair back from his face. "Fullmetal.. what have you gotten yourself into..?"

Roy placed his hand on Ed's face and wiped the trails of blood off, resting his hand on Ed's cheek for just a moment.

"M-mustang..?" Ed said softly, trying to open his eyes to see.

Roy looked down a the boy, "Fullm-Ed, what happened to you? How does Al have his body..? You didn't... find a philosopher's stone..?

Ed looked at the man sitting beside him on the bed. "Well.. it's hard to explain, but it's not what you think.." Ed rasped out, then continued, "You know I would never kill anyone, colonel Bastard"

Mustang looked at the boy trying to keep his eyes open. "Just.. sleep.. we'll talk when you're feeling better. For now.. where's Winry?"

* * *

Roy Walked through the house, going upstairs where Ed said that he could find Winry. Roy spoke to her upstairs for a few minutes and came back downstairs to where Ed was. It seemed as though Ed was waiting for him to come back down, because Roy could tell he was straining to keep his eyes open.

Ed waited a second before asking, "What did you and Winry talk about..?" Ed asked lazily.

Roy smirked at the eldest Elric, "Well. I made this long trip up here and I figured I needed a place to stay, since your hometown doesn't exactly have any hotels. I figured it best this way anyway. We came down here to help you and Al out. Now we can be here if anything happens."

Ed looked at Mustang Quizzically, but didn't say anything. So Roy continued.

"Anyway, I spoke to Winry about how we needed a place to stay. She didn't seem very happy about it at first - which I don't really blame her - but, in your condition, she said, it was alright if we kept you and Al safe. So, we decided it best for Hughes and Havoc to stay with Al. Riza to stay with Winry. And for me to share the living room with you. That way each group has at least one military personnel. Hughes doesn't have much field experience, so we put Havoc with him and Al, and you don't seem to be in condition to fight-"

Ed gave him a sharp look, "I'm in wonderful fucking condition to fight, colonel Bastard. I don't need your fucking help." He said sternly and rolled over so that his back was facing his superior. "Anyway, what about Pinako?"

Roy's face turned sour. "Well.. she's sleeping in her own room. She's not very excited about military dogs in her house, but she said it's fine as long as we don't pee on the carpet."

Ed laughed at that , and rolled back over. "Good Ol' Granny"


	8. That Night

That Night

Hey guys :D I hope that you're keeping up with this story! I am really happy to have so many people send me messages about this story! :D I tried to update this story within a reasonable time. So two days ;) that's a new record! ^-^ I also think that this is one of my longer chapters. Honestly the next one, we'll get even longer because.. well there's a lot of explaining to do. hehehe anyways continue reading. I'll go ahead and tell you that this chapter is more about Ed and Roy, as is most of what I write D: i'm sorry guys but I just adore their relationship. I'll try to bring more of Al into the next few chapters maybe. Please feel free to post comments, I'm always happy to hear them :) Anyways, Enjoy.

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After Roy had told Ed of the sleeping arrangements for that night, the rest of his crew slowly wandered in the house. First, being Hawkeye with Alphonse, then Maes Hughes, then again bringing up the rear, Havoc. By the time that they had all entered, it was a little after eight o'clock, and Roy decided to go on and tell them about the sleeping arrangements. He repeated everything that he had previously said to the short elder blonde, and watched as his team thought the arrangements over. Hughes and Havoc were fine with it, as they were on really good terms with the short younger blonde they would be sharing a room with. Hawkeye seemed happy to share a room with Winry, but the younger of the Elrics began to protest.

"Why do I have to be away from Ni-san?! I can take care of him! I have for days!", Alphonse complained. Everyone looked over to Ed at that statement, and looked at his current condition. Without further questioning, he walked out and into the room he would be sleeping in, feeling at a loss.

Havoc and Hughes simultaneously nodded, "We'll take care of Al", as they gave a sad smile to Ed and Roy and followed after the younger Elric, grabbing their luggage before leaving the main room of the house.

Riza decided that it was time for her to get her night stuff together, as they had had a long journey and she was awfully exhausted. So she too grabbed her luggage, and carried it easily up the steps to where she could find a blonde mechanic.

Soon it was only Roy and Ed left in the room, Ed lying on the couch tiredly, hardly keeping his golden eyes open. Roy looked over at him, feeling sorry for the young boy, "Is there anything that I can help you with?" he asked, knowing that the boy would refuse his help.

Ed looked at him, opening his eyes slightly more than previous, and registering the question his superior had asked, "umm.. nah I'm good", he said, exhaustion evident in his voice.

Roy had started to put out a sleeping bag, and a blanket, knowing that with how cold it could get here, he would probably need the warmth.

By the time that he had gotten his bed out, teeth brushed, and his pajamas on, (really just sweat pants and a tank top) it was around 9 p.m. and he was thankful for the oppuritunity to get some sleep. Tomorrow would bring lots of questions for the Elrics as to, well for one, why on earth that they needed Roy's help so bad, especially when they'd never needed it before, Roy's eyes dropped to the ground, 'This must be really bad' he thought to himself.

There were just so many questions! what had they gotten into? What had they done to make the humunculi so mad? How does Al not have a body make entirely of armor and a blood seal? What did Ed do to get himself hurt so bad? Sure the colonel had seen Ed bloodied and bruised and even in the hospital, but he'd never seen the boy look so down, so tired, like all of the energy had been taken out of him. He'd hardly moved since the colonel had gotten there, except to roll over once or twice.

He had so many questions that he wasn't willing to voice until he knew that Edward would be able to answer.

All of these thoughts had exploded in his mind as he exited the bathroom and headed back towards the living room, where he would be accompanying Ed for the night, and all e could do was shake his head. Too many questions and not enough answers.

As he walked ack into the living room, he began to crawl back into bed when he noticed that Ed hardly had any cover. He had a small blacnket wrapped around his torso, but you could see his legs. The blanket didn't seem to do a very good job covering up his chest, and the ports to the automail arm were very visable.

Before Roy had time to think about it, he got up and covered Ed up with his extra blanket. The sudden movement caused Ed to wake, and he tried to protest as he realized that he was shivering. Winter in Risembol wasn't very warm, and the temperature drop was very noticable at night.

Before the boy had time to protest his superiors actions, Roy had already left and climbed back into his sleeping bag, rolling over so that his back was towards the eldest Elric.

The boy snorted at the blanket and quietly said, "I don't need your pity, colonel bastard, If I wanted a blanket I could've gotten up and gotten myself one."

The raven haired man rolled over, after the sudden outburst from the little blonde, "For one thing, it's not pity. I have never and will never use pity as a reason to help you." The colonel's voice dropped, "you and Al are like sons to me, there's nothing that I wouldn't do within reason to help the two of you"

Roy smiled to himself, "and also, if you don't want my blanket, I can take it back."

The blonde grabbed hold of the blanket that Roy had just layed on top of him, as if grabbing the warmth. He thought about it for a moment and then stuttered out a quick "T-thanks"

Roy smiled and looked at the ceiling, happy that he'd gotten a thanks out of the stubborn blonde boy, not that he needed one, it was just a nice gesture.

After that Roy tried to sleep, but question after question ran through his head, still not able to come up with any liable answers. He couldn't assume here. That could mean the death of his entire team and the young blondes. A wrong assumption was something that he couldn't afford.

He realized then that he had been going on for a while and that there was no way that he was going to get any sleep. "Fuck", he mumbled, realizing that his brain was on high alert. He just had too many questions. Too many reasons to be troubled. There were too many holes in their defences. Sure, they had a state alchemist that was able to fight in every room, but they didnt even know what they would be facing, besides maybe humunculi, but why?

Sighing the colonel looked over to the clock on the wall, and was hardly able to read it, thanks to the bathroom light that was left on.

"Really?" the colonel questioned himself, "I've been droning over this for an hour?"

After realizing that, he knew that he was going to need some sleep tomorrow. He imagined that tomorrow was going to be a very long day, thus he couldn't afford to lose anymore sleep. He rolled over to his stoach and buried his head in his pillow, hoping that maybe the pillow would absorb his thoughts, so that he could get some rest.

Roy's breathing eame slower as his heart settled into a steady pace for the young man to sleep. His eyes shut, and his arm formed an extra pillow as he moved it under his pillow to encase his head.

Roy woke up before he'd realized that he'd fallen asleep.

"Dammit.. what the hell woke me..?" the colonel mumbled to himself, as he heard another noise, assuming there were previous ones that woke him.

Roy slowly used his arms to push himself up and opened his eyes tiredly. "What the hell..?"

He listened for the noise again, and heard it coming from over near his subordinate. The small bathroom light was muted so that it was hard to look around the room, but he could still see some things.

Roy looked over to Ed, and saw that the young boy was thrashing around wildly, whimpering to himself in his sleep.

At that Roy couldn't help but to go over and wake Ed, hearing his short pants and mumblings, "no... stop... Roy please.. help me.."

Roy quickly threw together what was going on, he shook the boy violently, trying to wake him up from his, horrible nightmare. After everything the Elrics had gone through, Roy doubted even he could withstand one of there nightmares.

After a moment Ed finally woke up, it took him a moment to realize where he was and what was going on. Then he pulled the colonel over him and hugged him tightly.

"Roy.. I.. I'm sorry" he said to the colonel as he cried into his shirt.

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I hope you enjoyed this. Any ideas for the next chapter, feel free to leave a comment :) or tell me how you feel about this chapter.


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